Gravecrawler (CR 16)

Small Undead (Earth)
Alignment: Always neutral
Initiative: +2 (Dex); Senses: tremorsense, darkvision 60 ft., Listen +16, and Spot +2


AC: 17 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15
Hit Dice: 25d12 (162 hp)
Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +16
Speed: 20 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +12; Grapple +8
Attack: Bite +13 melee
Full Attack: Bite +13 melee
Damage: Bite 1d4/19-20 plus 1d4 Constitution drain
Special Attacks/Actions: Calcifying aura, Constitution drain
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 15, Con -, Int 16, Wis 11, Cha 11
Special Qualities: Burrow, speak with dead, SR 30, turn resistance +6, undead traits
Feats: Alertness; Blind-fight; Combat Reflexes; Dodge; Improved Critical (bite); Iron Will; Mobility; Negotiator; Spring Attack
Skills: Balance +4, Bluff +14, Diplomacy +20, Escape Artist +16, Gather Information +2, Hide +34, Intimidate +2, Jump -4, Knowledge (history) +31, Knowledge (local) +31, Knowledge (undead) +31, Listen +16, Sense Motive +16, Spot +2, and Tumble +16
Advancement: 26-52 HD (Medium-Size)
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary, pair, or gang (3-4)
Treasure/Possessions: Standard

Source: Monster Manual II

Calcifying Aura (Su): The presence of a gravecrawler is enough to cause flesh (living or dead) to harden and calcify, turning slowly into stone. This effect is a 30-foot-radius emanation centered on the gravecrawler, and it is always active. Every creature within the area must make a Fortitude save (DC 22) each round or take 1d2 points of Constitution damage. (Unlike the drain from its bite, the loss from the gravecrawler's calcifying aura is restored at the rate of 1 point per day) A character brought to a Constitution score of 0 in this manner turns completely to stone. A gravecrawler is immune to its own calcifying aura and to those of others of its kind.

Constitution Drain (Su): Any creature bitten by a gravecrawler must make a Fortitude save (DC 22) or permanently lose 1d4 points of Constitution (or twice that amount on a critical hit). The gravecrawler heals 5 points of damage (10 on a critical hit) whenever it drains Constitution, gaining any excess as temporary hit points. A creature affected by this Constitution drain finds parts of its flesh turned to hard, brittle stone. At 0 Constitution, the target becomes a stone statue. A gravecrawler is immune to its own Constitution drain and to those of others of its kind.

Burrow (Ex): Gravecrawlers can move through stone, dirt, and earth, leaving no indication of their passage. A move stone spell cast on an area containing a burrowing gravecrawler flings the creature back 30 feet and stuns it for 1 round, unless it succeeds at a Fortitude save (DC 22).

Speak with Dead (Su): At will, a gravecrawler can produce an effect like that of a speak with dead spell (caster level 20th), except that it can he used to communicate with only one corpse per week. This ability does not allow communication with calcified remains.

Tremorsense (Ex): A gravecrawler can automatically sense the location of anything within 60 feet that is in contact with the ground.

Turn Resistance (Ex): A gravecrawler is treated as an undead with 31 Hit Dice for the purpose of turn, rebuke, command, and bolster attempts.

Gravecrawlers would rather be venerated than fought. if seriously threatened, they usually try to flee below ground. Occasionally, a gravecrawler may try to ambush opponents, erupting from the ground to expose a whole group of intruders to its calcifying aura, then following up with its debilitating bite. Gravecrawlers tend to be more forgiving if propitiated with fresh bodies and uncalcified bones.

The gravecrawler, sometimes called the ancestor worm, is an intelligent, slug like undead with the power to turn flesh (dead or living) to stone. Gravecrawlers can be found in wilderness areas, but they are most often found in cemeteries, boneyards, and necropoli. There they slowly turn the surrounding dead bodies to a brittle stone that cannot be animated even by the animate dead spell.

A gravecrawler resembles a bloated, pale, segmented worm about 3 feet in length. Its face looks like that of a human or humanoid, except that it has no eyes - not even vestigial ones.

Gravecrawlers can communicate with the spirits of the dead they consume, and as such they often become repositories of local lore, history, and gossip. Because of this fact, some societies view gravecrawlers as beneficial creatures. Even those who consider them benefactors, however, tend to give their lairs a wide berth, since the presence of these creatures has a grievous effects on the living. Gravecrawlers are frequently sought out by those who seek hidden knowledge and lost bits of history, but they are hated both by necromancers and by corpse-devouring creatures such as the ghoul and the corpse gatherer.

Earth Subtype

This subtype usually is used for elementals and outsiders with a connection to the Elemental Plane of Earth. Earth creatures usually have burrow speeds, and most earth creatures can burrow through solid rock.